HR0398 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0398 LRB099 11981 GRL 34523 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, More than 15% of Illinoisans struggle to provide enough food for their families and more than 22% of Illinois children are food insecure, meaning they do not have consistent access to adequate food; and

WHEREAS, In the 2013-2014 school year, Illinois dropped from 36th to 40th in the nation in school breakfast participation; the State provided only 36.2% of Free and Reduced Price eligible children with federally-funded school breakfasts and left $90.4 million in unclaimed federal funding for school breakfast; the State also achieved school breakfast participation rates of 70% or higher in only four of the 100 largest school districts; and

WHEREAS, Children in food-insecure households are less likely to have access to nutritious food that supplies the nutrients required for healthy brain development; and

WHEREAS, Low-income children who eat school breakfast have better overall diet quality than those who eat breakfast elsewhere or skip breakfast; and

WHEREAS, School breakfast participation is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI, an indicator of excess body fat), lower probability of overweight, and lower probability of obesity; and

WHEREAS, Eating breakfast at school is associated with positive behavioral outcomes, such as lower rates of chronic absenteeism, fewer classroom disruptions and less frequent visits to the nurse; and

WHEREAS, Alternative breakfast models, such as Breakfast in the Classroom or Grab N' Go breakfast, are proven models to boost school breakfast participation and related positive outcomes; and

WHEREAS, States across the nation have introduced legislation requiring schools with high Free and Reduced Price eligibility to provide an alternative model breakfast service; and

WHEREAS, The 1,376 schools throughout Illinois with 70% or higher Free and Reduced Price eligibility provided breakfast to only 45% of eligible students in the 2013-2014 school year; and

WHEREAS, If all Illinois schools with at least 70% Free and Reduced Price eligibility implemented alternative breakfast models and increased school breakfast participation to 70% of their students, an additional 106,726 students would receive breakfast every day; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage schools participating in the School Breakfast Program, and schools with 70% or higher Free and Reduced Price meal eligibility in particular, to utilize alternative delivery models such as Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab n' Go to provide alternative breakfast models to all students at no cost; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we acknowledge the importance of increasing participation in school breakfast in Illinois schools and recognize that establishing State requirements for schools to participate in alternative breakfast models are the most effective means to increase school breakfast participation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Commission to End Hunger's No Kid Hungry Working Group to provide the General Assembly with a report showing the impact of providing alternative breakfast models at all schools with an emphasis on schools that have 70% or higher Free and Reduced Price eligibility by November 4, 2015; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Commission to End Hunger.